Contents:
- Medical Video: 15 Football players who Nearly Died on the pitch
- What is sudden cardiac arrest?
- Why do many football players experience sudden cardiac arrest?
- Cause sudden cardiac death on soccer players
Medical Video: 15 Football players who Nearly Died on the pitch
In 2012, the FA Cup quarter-final match which brought Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton to a halt when Fabrice Muamba suddenly collapsed in the field. Fabrice Muamba's heart stopped beating for 78 minutes. Sudden cardiac death or sudden cardiac death is a result of sudden cardiac arrest, which is better known as sudden cardiac arrest. This incident then made many players and loyal football supporters to be anxious. Can playing football trigger a cardiac arrest? Here is the full review.
What is sudden cardiac arrest?
After falling in the field, Muamba was rushed to the hospital. The match was stopped. Muamba experiences sudden cardiac arrest. Reporting from The Guardian, the medical team continued to do lung heart resuscitation for 67 minutes, until finally Muamba's heart beat again.
Sudden cardiac arrest alone is a rare condition that occurs at a young age, can be found in 1 in 50,000 people. Sudden or sudden cardiac arrest sudden cardiac arrest is a condition where the heartbeat suddenly stops, resulting in the sufferer being unable to breathe and lose consciousness (fainting).
This condition is very dangerous because it can cause disability to death in just minutes. Unfortunately, sudden cardiac arrest occurs without warning or symptoms. This is caused by electrical current interference (electrical impulses) in the heart that inhibits blood pumping activity and stops blood circulation in the body.
This condition is different from a heart attack, where blood flow to some parts of the heart is blocked. However, a heart attack can also trigger disruption of electricity and cause a person to experience sudden cardiac arrest.
Why do many football players experience sudden cardiac arrest?
Not just Fabrice Muamba who has experienced this unfortunate event. Already many soccer players are uprooted while in action on the ground due to heart problems. Does that mean soccer sports increase the risk of cardiac arrest? Of course not.
It's just that soccer is one of the most popular sports in the community. In addition, the number of soccer players in the whole world is also very large. Therefore, reporting on heart problems to soccer players is indeed more widely heard.
However, compared to other sports, soccer can trigger the work of the human heart up to 98% of the maximum heart rate. Whereas tennis triggers up to 80%, while golf is even lower.
This is because soccer is a very dynamic sport. The players must move continuously and the risk of collisions between players is quite large.
During 90 minutes of competition, soccer players will play around 60 minutes and consume energy of 1,500 kilos of calories (kcal). Just imagine, the average player, except the goalkeeper, runs a total of 10 kilometers in each match.
Interestingly, the playing position also affects the aerobic capacity. Defenders have the lowest aerobic capacity while attackers or striker the highest.
Cause sudden cardiac death on soccer players
Heart disorders that occur in soccer athletes are caused by different things. According to experts, most cases of heart abnormalities actually existed since birth. However, there are also heart diseases that are derived from various things, including the exercise process itself. Not all of these abnormalities can be detected by routine examinations, so it might just be realized after a fatal event.
Sudden death in athletes, more than 90% of which are caused by heart problems, which are medically known as sudden cardiac death (SCD) or sudden death caused by a heart problem. This condition occurs after they experience sudden cardiac arrest. During 1966 to 2004 1,101 cases of SCD were reported in athletes.
SCD events are reported in various sports arenas as well. 30% occur in the soccer arena, 25% in the basketball arena, and 15% in running. The cause of SCD in athletes aged over 35 years is generally atherosclerosis, while at the age of under 35 years the most common causes are cardiomyopathy, heart rhythm disorders, myocarditis and trauma to the heart. Of the various causes of SCD, 80-90% of the underlying heart disease should be detected.
Football itself does provide many health benefits. For example by lowering blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol levels. However, different stories if you work as a football player who has a match schedule and solid training. Not to mention other activities such as participating in preseason tours or starring in advertisements.
According to the heart specialist association in Europe, there are two basic things that must be corrected to prevent deaths because of sudden cardiac death. These two things are tightening the pre-match health check and providing emergency services in a better sports arena.
